They are Your Kids: You Will Wi
This We Believe (NMSA, 2010).
* Educators value young adolescents and are prepared to teach them. Value Young Adolescents
This we believe (NMSA, 2010) provides an overview of sixteen characteristics of exemplary middle schools. This blog addresses the first characteristic and is under the topic: Curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
I was teaching in another state. Fifteen of the seventeen teachers on our floor were new to teaching. We were alternative certification teachers, Teach for America teachers, a few traditionally licensed teachers, and one of my team mates had been a teacher in the school for nine years. We were in a brand new building and we were a D school. (Schools in some states are graded based on how well their students perform on an End of Grade (EOG) exam.)
While in that school, I shared my mantra: 'You will win,' with a new teacher on our end of the hall who was frustrated by the behaviors of her students. You will win means you must never give up on children; you must constantly reflect on how they respond to one another; every day must be a new day; children must know you care; and you must give them opportunities to be successful.
Developing trust is our greatest challenge and there are no guarantees that what works one year will work the next. You will win. Consider Helen Keller's tutor, Anne Sullivan. Consider Marva Collins. Neither of these ladies gave up, based on their testimonies; these teachers 'won'. I remember the day the new teacher came to me and said, 'I won.' There had been a major breakthrough. She had had some moments of success; but it was November when she realized her classroom had become a community, a place for learning, a place where her students trusted her as their teacher, a peaceful environment. It was a wonderful moment to share. I had that feeling this week.
I had a breakthrough with one of my challenging students Wednesday. Let me start by saying, 'I love my homeroom," but they can be loud, and challenging. I am cautioning them constantly to be nice to one another, to listen, to work, to get started. Sometimes they remind me of frogs in a pond: one starts croaking, and others join in. I have several students who lack control of their behavior. None are diagnosed with EBD (Educational Behavior Disorders); one has ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and takes medication; three are labeled "gifted"; and no one else is diagnosed with behavioral challenges. We had a school-wide pep rally Wednesday to honor the fall-sport athletes. All of our students sit on one side of the bleachers in our gym. The band played, the cheerleaders cheered, and each athlete was introduced to the student body.
I happened to be posted near one end of the bleachers and watched a scenario unfold that involved one of my homeroom students and a teacher. During the pep rally he was accused of throwing a pencil eraser, that unfortunately almost hit the teacher. Now, believe me, it would have been possible, that this student would accidentally do this; and in the past, throwing things has happened; but I was later told by another student, that the accused student did not throw anything.
So, he is sitting in isolation, next to the band, removed by a teammate; and note: when he was removed, he did not retaliate or respond. My teammate told him to move so he wouldn't get in trouble. Towards the end of the pep rally, the cheerleaders, football team, soccer and volleyball players, as well as some teachers performed the NeaNea dance (I had not seen it before, but it looks like a kind of line dance, and I believe I need to learn how to do it.) The student took out his phone and asked a teacher if he could videotape the dance. She said, 'yes,' and then went out to the dance floor to join the other NeaNea dancers.
A second teacher, the one who was in the line of fire of the eraser, came down the bleachers and started fussing at my student who was holding the camera. At this point I intervened to share he had permission. The teacher went past him and onto the dance floor.
This we believe (NMSA, 2010) provides an overview of sixteen characteristics of exemplary middle schools. This blog addresses the first characteristic and is under the topic: Curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
I was teaching in another state. Fifteen of the seventeen teachers on our floor were new to teaching. We were alternative certification teachers, Teach for America teachers, a few traditionally licensed teachers, and one of my team mates had been a teacher in the school for nine years. We were in a brand new building and we were a D school. (Schools in some states are graded based on how well their students perform on an End of Grade (EOG) exam.)
While in that school, I shared my mantra: 'You will win,' with a new teacher on our end of the hall who was frustrated by the behaviors of her students. You will win means you must never give up on children; you must constantly reflect on how they respond to one another; every day must be a new day; children must know you care; and you must give them opportunities to be successful.
Developing trust is our greatest challenge and there are no guarantees that what works one year will work the next. You will win. Consider Helen Keller's tutor, Anne Sullivan. Consider Marva Collins. Neither of these ladies gave up, based on their testimonies; these teachers 'won'. I remember the day the new teacher came to me and said, 'I won.' There had been a major breakthrough. She had had some moments of success; but it was November when she realized her classroom had become a community, a place for learning, a place where her students trusted her as their teacher, a peaceful environment. It was a wonderful moment to share. I had that feeling this week.
I had a breakthrough with one of my challenging students Wednesday. Let me start by saying, 'I love my homeroom," but they can be loud, and challenging. I am cautioning them constantly to be nice to one another, to listen, to work, to get started. Sometimes they remind me of frogs in a pond: one starts croaking, and others join in. I have several students who lack control of their behavior. None are diagnosed with EBD (Educational Behavior Disorders); one has ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and takes medication; three are labeled "gifted"; and no one else is diagnosed with behavioral challenges. We had a school-wide pep rally Wednesday to honor the fall-sport athletes. All of our students sit on one side of the bleachers in our gym. The band played, the cheerleaders cheered, and each athlete was introduced to the student body.
I happened to be posted near one end of the bleachers and watched a scenario unfold that involved one of my homeroom students and a teacher. During the pep rally he was accused of throwing a pencil eraser, that unfortunately almost hit the teacher. Now, believe me, it would have been possible, that this student would accidentally do this; and in the past, throwing things has happened; but I was later told by another student, that the accused student did not throw anything.
So, he is sitting in isolation, next to the band, removed by a teammate; and note: when he was removed, he did not retaliate or respond. My teammate told him to move so he wouldn't get in trouble. Towards the end of the pep rally, the cheerleaders, football team, soccer and volleyball players, as well as some teachers performed the NeaNea dance (I had not seen it before, but it looks like a kind of line dance, and I believe I need to learn how to do it.) The student took out his phone and asked a teacher if he could videotape the dance. She said, 'yes,' and then went out to the dance floor to join the other NeaNea dancers.
A second teacher, the one who was in the line of fire of the eraser, came down the bleachers and started fussing at my student who was holding the camera. At this point I intervened to share he had permission. The teacher went past him and onto the dance floor.
He turned to me and said, “I am about to blow;” and he was about to blow. '’I am tired of teachers blaming me for things, and yelling at me,” he fumed.
“I know you are,” I shared. “But you know what I loved? I loved that when you were told to move, even though you didn't do anything, (At this point, I didn't know if he had done anything, but gave him the benefit of the doubt.) you moved down the bleachers without giving any response. And at that point, that was the best thing you could have done, and I was SO proud of you. You did the right thing.”
For this child, on this day, that situation was diffused. It broke my heart. He is in trouble, a lot. He probably does get accused of misbehavior more than others. I wonder how often children are falsely accused? How quickly are they wrongly blamed? I know that I have had to apologize to students and to the whole class. We are human, and so are our kids. I am so glad I was stationed near him.
Advice
Advice
1) We must be observers of our children; we must protect them from harmful accusations. We must believe that they will become responsible members of our class.
2) We must advocate for our students. When our teammate moved the student, it was to protect him. When we do this, we must give them reasons. The teacher shared why he was being moved, and assured him he was not in trouble. (Although, I am thinking he may have perceived it as punishment.)
3) We must help our students recognize when they have done the right thing. We must watch; we must observe; we must find the good in our children and celebrate positive behavior.
4) Developing relationships, building a community can take a while. Do not give up. You will win!
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